Road Rage

We live in a part of town with cyclists.  All around us.  All of the time.  A couple of years ago, a law professor was convicted by a jury of either aggravated assault by threat or action when she "tapped" a cyclist who as in front of her and going too slow.   The conviction was thrown out by an appeals court because of a faulty jury instruction.

The folks at Bicycling.com are focusing on the strained world of cyclists and drivers and how those two groups can coexist.  Parts one and two of their series can be found here and here.  Noting the deteriorating attitudes of cyclists and drivers to each other, executive editor Bill Strickland suggests that cyclists take the following approaches if they find themselves in a confrontation with a driver:

• Apologize for anything you did wrong;
• Personalize yourself;
• Point out incorrect information the driver may state;
• Cite the bottom line (i.e., it's easy for a driver to injure or kill a cyclist); and
• Cut off the interaction.

What do you think?  Is this a good formula for helping resolve conflict between drivers and cyclists (the editors say that they use this approach with success).  What about as a model for other types of conflicts?